How Biomechanics Affect Your Mobility

Whether you’re walking, running, or sitting in front of a screen, you may be giving little thought to what your body is doing. However, that’s precisely the focus of biomechanics — the science of human movement.

In this area of study, experts take mechanical principles and apply them to how the human body moves. This field is of special concern in podiatric medicine, where biomechanics focuses on the forces that affect your feet and ankles. 

Basically, podiatrists look at how your biomechanics can lead to foot and ankle issues. When incorporated into sports medicine, it helps improve athletic performance and prevent injury.

Our experts at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center serve people in the Evergreen and Wheat Ridge communities of Colorado. We have a strong understanding of biomechanical foot problems and how they can affect our patients. 

In this blog, our team offers insight into biomechanics and how they affect mobility.

Biomechanics basics

Generally speaking, biomechanics looks closely at how your bones, muscles, tendons, and  ligaments affect each other when you move. It also assesses balance, force, and momentum. 

In podiatry, it specifically considers your feet and ankles. These structures support your weight, keep you balanced, and absorb shock. Without proper foot and ankle biomechanics, it weakens your support structure, increasing your risk of injury.

How biomechanics affects mobility

Biomechanics can significantly impact your mobility — this is the ability to move around freely and easily. If you have faulty biomechanics, it can lead to injury or other foot conditions.

To see this in action, consider the act of running. While out on a run, if you apply too much force or rotation to your ankle when changing direction, your balance falters, causing a fall or ankle sprain. 

That’s where biomechanics comes in. Our experts use biomechanics to identify how the injury occurred so that you can prevent it from recurring. For instance, did you try to change direction while running up a hill? Were you on grass or concrete? Biomechanics even considers the type and condition of your shoes. 

Each of these factors affects your biomechanics and mobility.

Biomechanics and common foot problems

Faulty biomechanics can lead to problems with your feet and ankles. These problems can affect your gait — or the way you take a step. Two common examples are plantar fasciitis and bunions. 

Plantar fasciitis

When you have plantar fasciitis, inflammation develops in the tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes. This condition can make walking especially painful because it triggers stabbing pain in your heel. 

A common cause of plantar fasciitis involves irregular gait — or biomechanics.

Bunions

In most cases, bunions form at the base of the big toe. This foot problem can occur from overpronation, meaning you turn your foot in when running or walking. Overpronation may not sound like a serious problem, but it increases pressure on your big toe. Over time, this misaligns the joint. 

Not only do bunions cause a visual deformity of the foot, but they can also cause significant pain. As a result, they impact your gait and mobility.

Correcting biomechanical problems

The good news is that our team at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center can identify if your foot pain is from faulty biomechanics. It all starts with a gait analysis that examines how you take a step. After reviewing our findings, we can outline a treatment plan specifically for you.

If biomechanics is affecting your mobility and performance, call 303-423-2520 to schedule a visit at the location nearest you — in Wheat Ridge, Thornton, Evergreen, or Granby, Colorado — or book your appointment online today.